Health Alert – U.S. Embassy Lima, Peru

Event: The Peruvian Ministry of Health confirmed 263 cases of COVID-19 in Peru as of Mar. 20, 2020 at 1:00 PM.

U.S. citizens who are considering returning to the United States are urged to contact airlines with flights to Peru to try to make travel arrangements.

Latam Airlines notified the U.S. Embassy it created an online signup page for travelers to express interest in flights. If you are interested, please respond immediately through the link.

Avianca Airlines also notified the U.S. Embassy it created an online signup page for travelers to express interest in flights departing from Lima and Cusco to destinations including the United States. If you are interested, please respond immediately through the link.

The U.S. Embassy encourages you to keep contacting airlines for reservation and flight updates. Major airlines with flights from Peru to the United States, websites, and customer service telephone numbers are below:

On March 14, the Department of State authorized the departure from any diplomatic or consular post in the world of U.S. personnel and family members who have been medically determined to be at higher risk of a poor outcome if exposed to COVID-19.

In response to the ongoing COVID-19 outbreak the Peace Corps are in the process of evacuating their Volunteers from Peru.

On March 20, the U.S. Embassy repatriated a group of medically vulnerable U.S. citizens in country, as well as a limited number of Peace Corps Volunteers and U.S. Embassy personnel and family members.

Effective Mar. 16, U.S. Embassy Lima has suspended routine consular services. For emergency American Citizens Services, including emergency passports, please visit our website for additional information: https://pe.usembassy.gov. For emergencies, you can also email the American Citizen Services unit at LimaACS@state.gov or call +51-1-618-2000.

The Peruvian government declared a national state of emergency on March 15, 2020, at 8:00 PM Peru local time. Under the state of emergency, Peru enacted 15 days of mandatory quarantine, starting at 00:00 on March 16, 2020. At 23:59 PM on March 16, 2020, the Peruvian Government closed all international borders (land, air, and maritime) and suspended all interprovincial travel within Peru (land, air, and river). American Citizens who remain in Peru should arrange lodging for the duration of the quarantine period and plan to limit their movements. Limited quarantine exemptions include movement to obtain food and medical care. Travelers currently in country should consult iPeru for the latest guidance for tourists. The Embassy will provide a daily update on this page as this situation develops

As of March 17, Jorge Chávez International Airport in Lima is closed to the public. Please contact airline carriers for updates on flight information.

The Peruvian government issued a decree on March 14 suspending the docking of all cruise ships in Peruvian ports for 30 days.

American Airlines announced via its website on March 14 that it will suspend service from Dallas/Fort Worth and Miami to Lima, Peru effective end of day March 16, after flying all legs scheduled through the end of that day. This suspension will last through May 6.

On March 13 the Peruvian government issued a decree to suspend all flights to and from Europe and Asia, beginning on March 16, for 30 days.

On March 12 President Martín Vizcarra announced the suspension of classes at university and vocational educational institutions, following his March 11 announcement suspending primary and secondary school classes through March 30.